Wednesday, October 22

Creamy Corn, Potato and Sausage Chowder with Corn Relish

Maybe it's because I grew up in New England, home of New England Clam Chowdah. Or maybe it's because it was my mom's favorite soup. All I know is that every autumn, as sure as the leaves fall from the trees, I crave a bowl of steaming hot corn chowder.

When I called my mom to tell her I was posting on corn chowder and would like her recipe, she said, "Ooh, corn chowder! That's my favorite soup." I smiled.

"I'm sorry, honey, I don't have a recipe. But, it's chowder. Everyone knows how to make chowder." Or so every New England mother who makes chowder firmly believes.

So I conjured up images and smells of mom's corn chowder and started chopping and sauteing and pureeing. I added sausage for depth of flavor and cheddar cheese for richness. Then I adorned each serving with a simple corn relish that added just the right amount of texture to keep things interesting. The chowder turned out just like I wanted it to: it was wonderfully thick and creamy and had a deep corn flavor.

After I was finished, I called my mom and told her all about it. Her response: "Ooh, that sounds wonderful, honey! Can I have the recipe?"

Last month I wrote an article, "How to Freeze Corn for the Winter." So if you froze summer sweet corn, now is the time to whip it out. Of course, either frozen or canned corn from the supermarket works just as well.

To make the relish, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels and green onions, cooking until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat, and add fresh parsley and salt, to taste. Set aside.

In a deep pot over medium-high heat, melt butter. Saute onions for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add potatoes and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add corn kernels, cayenne, salt, and black pepper, and stir well. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, cheddar cheese, and parsley. Turn off heat and allow chowder to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add loose sausage, and cook until browned and crispy, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

Puree soup in two batches until smooth, and return to the pot over medium-low heat. Stir in cooked sausage and warm until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Garnish eat serving with a spoonful of corn relish and some extra finely chopped parsley.Note: This soup tastes even better the next day. So it's a good meal to make over the weekend for a quick and easy mid-week dinner.

Oboy, that looks so good. Thanks so much for the recipe, since I'm not from New England ;) It would be nice to play around with it too, like maybe lobster for sausages or something, heh heh :) (though sausages are quite welcome on their own!)

Where are the spoons in your house? Would love a seat in your table :D. What a fantastic soup... MMmmmm I should try to cook with corn one day.I love the way you set the colours, clothes and dish for the picture!

I can't wait to try this! I'm a bit disappointed that we haven't had any chilly weather here yet, but that hasn't stopped my craving for soup. AND, Trader Joe's has frozen "grilled" corn which is really quite tasty.

I like the idea of using the corn relish and incorporating sausage! I recently made a corn and potato chowder with jalepenos as one of the ingredients for a little kick. To finish I used fresh bacon bits, shredded cheese and chopped scallions.

Your family stories always make me smile. But my all time favorite is still the one about your dad and the basement. ; )

This chowder looks wonderful! And your photos are gorgeous. I'm embarrassed to admit I've never had corn chowder, let alone cooked some up. I definitely need to make up for lost bowls. I love the idea of the sausage in there.

Beautiful, Susan! And timely too, with the chill in the air now. A quick question for you: I've always figured frozen vegetables to be superior to their canned brethren—would frozen corn work here? And for that matter, is canned better when it comes to corn? I do remember reading that corn is one of those rare vegetables that actually improves in nutritional value during the canning process.

Oh my goodness, that story is *so* something that could've happened between my mom and me. Love it! And corn chowder is also one of my mom's favorites--she is Pennsylvania Dutch and they/we make *lots* of it :)

Susan, only a glance on the title my mouth instantly is watering! The photos (both) are absolutely gorgeous! The fresh corns in here are not even half as good as the ones in NJ... but I don't want to miss such a splendid recipe, maybe I just give the canned one a go :)

Oh Susan... This looks like comfort in a bowl! In Boston 2 weekends ago I finalyl got to have clam "chowdah" in a sourdough bread bowl and it reminded my of how much I love chowder. This recipe has already been bookmarked!